<![CDATA[Contemporary developments in haṭha yoga tend to emphasize āsana, flexibility, physical fitness, and bodily health as primary foci, which can obscure the interconnectedness of the body, vital energy, mind, and transformation of consciousness as conceptualized in classical haṭha yoga literature. This study aims to identify the components of the haṭha yoga method in the Gorakṣaśatakam, analyze the functional relationships among these components, and reconstruct the systematic structure of the method articulated in the text. The study employs a qualitative approach through library research and textual analysis. The critical edition of the Gorakṣaśatakam by Swami Kuvalayananda and S. A. Shukla serves as the primary source. The data are analyzed through close textual reading, coding, categorization, and analysis of the relationships among the identified components. Data validity is ensured through source triangulation and critical examination of textual readings. The findings demonstrate that the haṭha yoga method in the Gorakṣaśatakam constitutes an integrative system structured according to ṣaḍaṅgayoga, comprising āsana, prāṇasaṃyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi. These six limbs establish functional and transformational relationships that integrate the body, prāṇa, mind, and consciousness. Āsana functions as the foundation for physical conditioning; prāṇasaṃyāma regulates prāṇa; pratyāhāra directs awareness inward; dhāraṇā and dhyāna deepen the regulation and concentration of awareness; and samādhi represents the culmination of this integration, leading toward advayatva, mukti, and parama pada. This reconstruction demonstrates that the Gorakṣaśatakam does not present haṭha yoga as a collection of isolated techniques, but rather as a coherent sādhanā system oriented toward the transformation of consciousness and spiritual liberation.]]>
Copyrights © 2026
